Portable clearing device for fibre ends, broken
threads and the like



Sept. 20, 1966 A. PAGANI ETAL 3,273,186

PORTABLE CLEARING DEVICE FOR FIBRE ENDS, BROKEN THREADS AND THE LIKE Filed May 27. 1964 14 1 I ]I[\ mpfi- FIG-.5

p 3,273,186 Ice Patented Sept. 20, 1966 3,273,186 PORTABLE CLEARING DEVICE FOR FIBRE ENDS, BROKEN TI-mEADS AND THE LIKE Angelo Pagani and Mario Vezzoli, both of San Pancrazio, Brescia, Italy (both Dr. Ing. Misitano A.G., Via Padova 217, Milan, Italy) Filed May 27, 1964, Ser. No. 370,424 Claims priority, application Italy, June 20, 1963, 12,580/ 63 1 Claim. (Cl. 151.5)

Textile machines such as spinning or doubling machines produce a cloud of fibre ends, broken threads, flying down and the like while in operation. Such a cloud causes the following drawbacks:

(a) stoppage with dust in the bearings of working cylinders;

(b) felting With fibres upon the belts;

(c) clogging with dust in the guide pulleys and the transmission belts tothe spindles as well as to the motor shieldings.

The present invention aims to eliminate, by a direct and economic way, the accumulation of such flying fibres and like bodies.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a clearing device for fibre ends, broken threads or like flying bodies produced during the operation of textile machines such as spinning machines, doubling frames or like machines which device comprises a portable support frame, a manually actuated control member, an overdrive gearing of the motion derived from the control member, a spindle actuated by the overdrive gearing, means for storing the kinematic energy and ratchet wheel device permitting a unidirectional and rapid revolution of the spindle during the actuation of the control member.

One example of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal, part-sectional, side elevation of a clearing device according to this invention with some components removed for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line 11-11 of FIG. 1, showing the ratchet wheel device embodied in the clearing device;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal part-sectional, side elevation of the spindle tip according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal, part-sectional, side elevation of the spindle tip according to an alternative embodiment.

Referring to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the clearing device is substantially pistol-shaped and it comprises two halves 1 and 1A of plastics material, for example nylon. The halves 1 and 1A are fixed together by screws (not shown) thus providing a light and portable device which can be manually actuated as hereinafter described. 20 is a trigger shaped control member pivoted about a pin 21 and elastically urged in the direction of arrow PC by a return spring 3. A portion of the member 20 is shaped as a toothed sector 2 which is concentric with the axis of the pivot 21 and which meshes permanently with a toothed pinion 4. The shaft of the pinion 4 is rotatably mounted in supports 6-7 as shown in FIG. 3. The pinion 4 is a component of an overdrive gearing comprising a conical toothed wheel 8, which is fixed with the pinion 4 on a shaft 5, and a conical pinion 9, which is formed from a hollow shaft 10. The latter is idly mounted around a shaft 12. Preferably, the pinion 4 and the toothed conical wheel 8 are integral with one another. The shaft 12 is perpendicular to the shaft 5 and, as shown in the drawings, is supported by a bush 13 and a ball bearing 14.

50 is a rib supporting the bush 13 and serving to fix the said bush through a bracket 51 to be fixed to the rib. A unidirectional amplified motion can be transmitted by hollow shaft 10 to the shaft 12 by means of a ratchet wheel device comprising a ratchet wheel 11 formed from the said shaft 10 and co-operating with a special pawl 18 of nylon acting elastically upon the ratchet wheel 11. The pawl 18 is pivotally mounted on a flywheel 17 and is urged elastically into the engagement position with the teeth of the wheel 11 by means of a prolongation 19. The latter is substantially half-moon shaped and is pivoted to the flywheel with its ends at 19A and 19B, thus acting as a spring for the pawl 18 which is urged elastically upon the teeth of the wheel 11. It is apparent therefore that the member 20 can transmit a work movement to the flywheel 17 and consequently to the shaft 12 only when it is actuated in an upwards direction, that is in the direction of arrow PB. The shaft 12 is prolonged by a cylindricalconical rod 15 hereinafter referred to as a spindle.

The operation of the clearing device is as follows:

By continually pressing the trigger 20 the revolving spindle 15 receives a relatively rapid unidirectional movement (arrow PA) the said movement being practically uniform due to the provision of the flywheel 17. An arch shaped slit 30 in the trigger 20 and a stop 31 in the halfbox 1 limit the reciprocating stroke of the member 20, and a bush L prevents the same from sideways movement. When the said spindle 15 is brought by an operator to the places where a cloud, consisting of flying bodies such as broken threads, fibre ends, down and the like, is formed and is not easily accessible the cloud is seized and swept away in a practical and eifective manner by means of the said revolving spindle. Owing to adherence and electrostatic eifect the cloud is collected around the spindle and, when the volume of the cloud reaches a sufficient value, the operator takes it away. The clearing operation may then be repeated once the spindle has been cleared of the cloud of fibres.

In order to increase the collecting effect of the spindle as well as to safeguard the gearing of the clearing device and to substitute the spindle easily and economically, the spindle may be provided with an interchangeable point of plastics material, for example nylon, which may be fixed to the tip of the spindle by forcing or auto-screwing (see FIG. 5). The said spindle-tip may be smooth or it may be provided with a series of riflings indicated at 15B in FIG. 4.

Instead of providing a toothed sector in the trigger a rectilineal toothed rack may be provided, said rack being pivotally mounted on the trigger and able to transmit the rotation movement to the spindle through a train of cylindrical toothed wheels constituting the overdrive gearing.

What we claim is:

A device for clearing fibre ends, broken threads and like flying bodies produced in the operation of textile machinery, characterized in that it comprises a portable support frame made of plastic material, a manually actuated control member, an overdrive gearing of the motion derived from the control member, a spindle actuated by the said overdrive" gearing, a tip to be removably fixed to the said spindle and made of plastic material for attracting by electrostatic eflfect the fibre ends, a flywheel for storing the kinematic energy, and a ratchet wheel device permitting a unidirectional and rapid revolution of the spindle during the actuation of the control member, the said ratchet wheel device consisting of a half moon shaped spring to be fixed at its ends to the said flywheel and made of plastic material, a clip integral with that said spring, a ratchet wheel cooperating with the said clip, and mounted coaxially to the said spindle.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 3/1953 Germany.

10 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

L. G. MACHLIN, Assistant Examiner. 

